Kingsett Capital's 475 Yonge Redesigned in Latest Submission

A little over a year has passed since KingSett Capital first submitted their proposal to redevelop the Courtyard Marriott Toronto Downtown Hotel site at 475 Yonge Street. One of many major redevelopments steps from College subway station, the early 2016 submission saw 65 and 45-storey mixed-use condominium towers proposed atop a 5-storey podium with retail at grade, and onsite parkland dedication. Designed by Quadrangle, the proposal included a 15-storey hotel with 289 rooms (the existing hotel has 550 rooms and 25 suites), while the residential towers proposed to add 988 condos units to the site.

March 2016 submission of 475 Yonge, image courtesy of Quadrangle

The vast majority of proposals evolve during the planning process to better fit the local context and coming in line with Planning Department guidelines, and 475 Yonge is no exception. Recently revised plans now show a scaled-down iteration of the design, with the two residential towers resized, one down to 58 (624 ft) and the other up to 48 storeys (535 ft) in height. The 15-storey hotel component along the northern half of the site has been scrapped, and in its place stands added outdoor amenity space.

The massing and design of the podium has also been altered, with the west side now at 4 storeys and over 12,000 ft² of rooftop amenity space perched atop it at the fifth level. To the east side, the podium rises to 9 storeys, with about 9,150 ft² of outdoor amenity space accessed through the 10th level. Architecturally, the new renderings hint that a combination of curtainwall, white vertical fins, and white panelling will be treated throughout the course of the podium.

Updated rendering from the northwest, image via submission to the City of Toronto

At street level, the architectural plans depict up to five retail spaces fronting Yonge Street, while a restaurant (about 7,450 ft² in size) will occupy the northwest corner at Yonge and Alexander St, with a proposed POPS situated on the same corner will be 1,346 ft² in size. Parking for the 290 vehicular spaces within four below-grade levels will be accessed from Wood St, directly beside a bike elevator that will lead to the P1 level where 1,016 bike lock-ups are accommodated. In total, over 21,200 ft² of indoor amenity space is provided, situated on the fifth, seventh, ninth and 10th floors, and doubled in height in all but the ninth level.

Updated rendering of the eastern podium, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The residential lobbies would be accessed from Alexander for the north tower, and Wood Street for the south tower. On the east side, the vehicle drop-off is in front of the main entrance to the proposed hotel, which now is planned for only 97 rooms. Finally, the eastern-most edge of the site will be dedicated for on-site parkland, totalling 9,774 ft² in size.

The second floor of the podium would see roughly 35,350 ft² of usable retail space, while the third and fourth floors will include 47 and 50 hotel units respectively, accompanied with a hotel pool and ballroom spanning both levels. Condo suites begin on the fifth level of the podium. The unit breakdown has been altered for larger than market-sized units, with 90 bachelor units (about 592 ft²), 551 one-bedroom units (637 ft²) 248 two-bedroom units (970 ft²), and 96 three-bedroom units (1,240 ft²).

Updated rendering from the southeast, image via submission to the City of Toronto

With a renewed rezoning submission, it may be some time before the planning process advances to the next step, which—assuming zoning approval—would be the Site Plan Application process. For now, additional information and renderings can be found in the project's database file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts on the resubmission? Feel free to leave a comment in the space provided on this page, or join in the ongoing conversation in the associated Forum thread.